It’s insane this topic has gotten to the point that it’s actually a real debate. Even more stunning that it has somehow become political? Like, what are we doing here? This is not a political left vs right issue. This is a common sense vs no common sense issue.
If you believe biological males should compete in women’s sports, I believe you are simply wrong. And I don’t care if you are a trans woman. If you were born a male, you should never be allowed to compete in women’s sports. To be clear, I have absolutely nothing against trans people and this not an attack at them. As far as I’m concerned we all got one life to live, so go do what’s going to make you happy in it. But there is absolutely no place for anyone born a biological male in women’s sports.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
In 2023, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) published an expert consensus statement on the biological basis of sex differences in athletic performance, particularly after puberty. They found that males outperform females by 10-30% depending on the requirements of that specific athletic event. But they also give some useful physiological numbers that help explain why males perform better. By age 18, males have approximately 15 times the circulating testosterone levels of females on average. Male puberty produces greater skeletal muscle mass, larger muscle fibers, higher hemoglobin, larger hearts and lungs, greater height, and longer limbs. (Source: American College of Sports Medicine)
The American Physiological Society (APS) published an article in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 2025 that took what the ACSM found a step further. They actually say the evidence shows there is a male-female performance gap even before puberty. Among the best prepubescent athletes in the USA, they found the male-female performance gap is 3-5% in track and field running events, 5-10% in jumping events, and 1-5% in swimming. After puberty, the authors found a substantially larger performance gap, consistent with the findings summarized by ACSM. Except APS had the performance gap from 10% to as high as 40% (ACSM had 10-30%). APS also confirmed the gap varies depending on the sport. In elite track and field, the male advantage is roughly 10-13% across running events, while jumping events show advantages of roughly 18-25%, depending on the event. The authors found that the largest gaps occur in events determined by maximal muscular power. (Source: Journal of Applied Physiology)
So we have a lot of percentages above showing this is not some tiny difference. We’re talking about performance gaps that can be 10%, 20%, 30%, or even 40% depending on the athletic task. We’re going to continue to look at some more numbers, but these numbers shown by Oxford Academic in the Oxford Endocrine Reviews should really drive the point home on this performance gap and show the difference isn’t merely theoretical. For example, the current female world record in the 100 meter dash is 10.49 seconds. According to research published in Endocrinology, an Oxford Academic journal, 7,560 adult males have run times faster than this women’s world record. Even more striking, 394 males under the age of 18 have done it. The 200 meter female world record is 21.34 seconds. 10,180 adult males and 300 youth males have run faster times than that. The authors note that other world-record events involving muscle power or endurance show similar or even greater numbers of male youths outperforming the world’s best adult women. (Source: Oxford Academic)
I encourage you to click the three sources above and read their findings in more detail, as there is so much more information there that I couldn’t possibly include it all here.
When the Numbers Meet Reality
Don’t like numbers? Fine, here are some real life examples showing the discrepancy too. The Oxford findings mention how even youth males can outperform the best adult female athletes, and we have seen proof of that. In 2017, the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) played a scrimmage against FC Dallas under-15 boys squad. Yes… under 15. The boys won 5-2. A group of boys under the age of 15 beat the USWNT that has won four of the nine women World Cups to have ever been played.
For the record, the most goals the USWNT ever allowed at a World Cup was 4 in 2007 to Brazil. I understand the USWNT probably weren’t treating this like a World Cup Final, and I’m not saying this definitively proves the boys are a better overall team. But the point is that the physical differences described in the research can have real consequences even when comparing elite female athletes to teenage males.
And if you think the U-15 game can simply be dismissed because it was a scrimmage, there’s an even more interesting example. In 2023, former USWNT stars entered the inaugural $1 million, winner-take-all edition of The Soccer Tournament (TST). A 7v7 competition that featured men’s and women’s teams on the same field. So don’t you dare try to tell me they weren’t trying in these games with that kind of cash prize on the line. This was no casual scrimmage. The US Women 2023 team, as they were called, played three games all of which were against male opponents. 5-0 loss to Say Word FC, 12-0 loss to Wrexham Men’s, and a 7-1 loss to Como 1907 were the results. That’s one goal scored to 24 conceded. Now this tournament is 7v7 with some different rules than traditional soccer, but it’s not like the men didn’t have to adjust too. Beginning in 2024, TST had a separate women’s tournament for this event. Gee, I wonder why.
Truthfully I really enjoy the USWNT, but these are still good examples. Additionally and randomly, kudos to the USWNT for actually winning shit unlike the men’s team. Sorry, I’m still not over that embarrassing USMNT World Cup loss to Belgium.
We also have Lia Thomas winning an NCAA division 1 championship as a transgender woman. I’m not implying every transgender woman would dominate and do this, but this shows how the eligibility question can affect actual championship-level competition and outcomes. Is something like this fair to second place finisher Emma Weyant, an Olympic silver medalist, who had spent years training for the opportunity to compete for that NCAA championship? Whatever someone’s views on transgender inclusion may be, this is exactly why the eligibility question matters. It can clearly and directly affect championship-level women’s competition.
And this isn’t just about hypothetical competitive advantages. There have actually been situations where female athletes have raised concerns about safety. In one high school basketball game in Massachusetts, three girls were reportedly injured while competing against a transgender athlete, eventually leading to their team just forfeiting the game:
We have a similar story with Payton McNabb. A former high school volleyball player from North Carolina who says she suffered a head and neck injury competing against a transgender. She has spoken publicly about her experience and why she believes biological sex matters in sports. I think her perspective is worth hearing:
Still not enough? How about sports organizations spending decades adjusting equipment and playing conditions to account for physical differences between male and female athletes. Like volleyball nets. The regulation volleyball net is 7’11⅝” for men and 7’4⅛” for women — a difference of nearly 8 inches. Track and field also does not ignore the obvious physical differences. For example, the senior women’s shot put is 4 kg compared with 7.26 kg for men. Women’s javelin is also lighter, as are the discus and hammer. Women’s hurdles are also lower.
Or how about the smaller basketballs compared to men, or the smaller softball field compared to baseball fields?
And none of this is particularly controversial. We don’t look at a women’s basketball and say, “why are we discriminating against women by giving them a smaller ball?” It is understood that the equipment is different because the athletes are different. We don’t look at the women’s volleyball net and demand it be raised to the men’s height. We don’t hand the women a men’s shot put and tell them biology doesn’t matter. Adjustments are made because we simply understand the physical differences and that those differences matter when it comes to playing sports.
None of this means I think women are lesser athletes. Quite the opposite. I love watching incredible female athletes compete. I’ve already stated my love for the USWNT, Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson are incredible basketball players to watch, Serena Williams the GOAT is unreal, Lindsey Vonn, Mia Hamm, Katie Ledecky, the list goes on and one for these incredible women. Countless other women have pushed their sports forward and inspired millions of other girls and fans. My position is about protecting the women’s leagues and competitions they worked so hard to build.
At the end of the day this really isn’t a complicated issue. Men and women are different athletes, and pretending otherwise isn’t going to make those differences disappear. I love sports, and I believe women deserve the opportunity to compete, succeed, and be celebrated on a level playing field. Recognizing the biological differences between men and women isn’t an attack on anyone. It’s actually the very reason women’s sports exist in the first place. It’s time to bring some common sense back into the conversation and keep women’s sports for women.
Have a take on this? Leave a comment below.